You’ve probably heard the phrase, “Laughter is the best medicine.” Comedy on Referral has taken that idea and run with it, using stand-up comedy to help treat people struggling with trauma (精神创伤) and anxiety in partnership with the National Health Service (NHS).
The idea came from comedian Angie Belcher’s experiences teaching comedy at the University of Bristol. She found that students often told her how much stronger and more resilient (有适应力的) they were thanks to stand-up comedy.
Inspired, she teamed up with the NHS in Bristol to create a six-week comedy course for patients struggling with trauma in January 2022. Following the success of this initial course, Comedy on Referral won NHS funding to help men with trauma in London.
Belcher said, “Past traumas are perfect for comedy. Comedy doesn’t come from the happy, perfect moments of your life, but from our everyday struggles and major life events. People who’ve been through big life experiences such as losing a loved one and ill health often can’t wait to tell me their stories, mostly because there’s always something especially funny about the situation.”
Research has shown that laughter has positive psychological effects, such as decreasing levels of cortisol (the stress hormone) and increasing endorphins (the hormone that reduces the feeling of pain). It can even have physiological benefits, although less research has been done in this area. Current research has linked laughter and humour with increased levels of pain tolerance as well as short-term cardiovascular (心血管的) benefits. More research is needed to prove these findings
Nonetheless, the mental health benefits of regular laughter are widely accepted, and using comedy to treat mental health struggles could be a real breakthrough in the treatment of mental health.
1. Why is the phrase mentioned in paragraph 1?A.To explain the harm trauma causes. | B.To stress the importance of laughter. |
C.To show the effect of stand-up comedy. | D.To state the idea behind Comedy on Referral. |
A.Effective. | B.Ambiguous. | C.Fruitless. | D.Controversial. |
A.Struggling moments. | B.Funny moments. |
C.Successful moments. | D.Boring moments. |
A.Comedy is one thing that can make you struggle | B.Laughter is useful for people’s mental health |
C.Anxiety can also make you feel better | D.Laughter will cure you of all diseases |
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【推荐1】Everyone knows that death is natural, but do you have any idea of the process of dying? Modern scientists divide the process of dying into two phases---clinical or temporary death and biological death. Clinical death occurs when the vital organs, such as the heart or lungs, have ceased to function, but have not suffered permanent damage. The organism can still be revived (复活). Biological death occurs when changes in the organism lead to the “breaking up” of vital cells and tissues. Death is then unchangeable and final.
Scientists have been seeking a way to prolong the period of clinical death so that the organism can remain alive before biological death occurs. The best method developed so far involves cooling of the organism, combined with narcotic sleep. By slowing down the body's metabolism, cooling delays the processes leading to biological death.
To illustrate how this works, scientists performed an experiment on a six-year-old female monkey called Keta. The scientist put Keta to sleep with a narcotic. Then they surrounded her body with ice-bags and began checking her body temperature. When it had dropped to 28 degrees the scientists began draining blood from an artery. The monkey's blood pressure decreased and an hour later both the heart and breathing stopped: clinical death set in. For twenty minutes Keta remained in this state. Her temperature dropped to 22 degrees. At this point the scientists pumped blood into an artery in the direction of the heart and started artificial breathing. After two minutes Keta's heart became active once more. After fifteen minutes, spontaneous (自发的) breathing began, and after four hours Keta opened her eyes and lifted her head. After six hours, when the scientists tried to give her a penicillin injection, Keta seize d the syringe and ran with it around the room. Her behavior differed little from that of a healthy animal.
1. Which word can be used to replace the underlined word “ceased”____________.A.postponed. | B.prevented. | C.stopped. | D.lengthened. |
A.cool the organism. |
B.bring vital cells and tissues back to active life. |
C.slow down the body's metabolism. |
D.postpone the coming of biological death. |
A.By putting her to sleep, lowering her temperature and draining her blood. |
B.By surrounding her body with ice-bags and draining her blood. |
C.By lowing her blood pressure and stopping her heart from beating. |
D.By draining her blood, lowering her blood pressure and stopping her breathing. |
A.her heart beat again. |
B.she rejected a penicillin injection. |
C.she regained her normal breath. |
D.she acted as lively as a healthy monkey. |
【推荐2】Telehealth is a way to receive healthcare services far away through some kind of communication technology. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic (流行病), telehealth has become more valued and beneficial than ever before. People prefer to seek health services in a way that prevents possible disease transmission (传染).
Telehealth is a wide term that includes a variety of methods of virtual (虚拟的) healthcare delivery. Traditionally, the term telehealth might bring to mind that it might occur at the same time, two-way video visits between a healthcare professional and patient. But actually, telehealth includes more than these “e-visits”. It can include telephone calls, patient monitoring far away, or storing messages and sending messages of questions, photographs and test results.
Telehealth as we know it today began over 50 years ago when NASA developed telehealth services for astronauts on missions. It became clear that this would have effects on healthcare delivery on the Earth, as well. In the 1970s and 1980s, NASA funded multiple telehealth research projects across the populations, such as the Papago Indian Reservation and the Soviet Republic of Armenia. These projects were developed in 1993 and promoted the telehealth by using a variety of methods that have been improved.
It began in the 1970s and 1980s by using radios for telehealth communication, and then it developed into telephone telehealth in the 1990s. As technology has developed, telehealth methods have developed, too. Nowadays the telehealth includes secure messaging over applications, patient monitoring, and more. The COVID-19 pandemic has also contributed to the development of telehealth due to the necessity for social distancing.
1. What is the aim of telehealth?A.To prevent disease transmission. |
B.To offer healthcare services far away. |
C.To provide the assistance for a doctor. |
D.To improve communication technology. |
A.Receive face to face treatment. |
B.Get actual treatment by video visits. |
C.Take a self-guided online health exam. |
D.Receive virtual care for treatment far away. |
A.Its research was refused by government. |
B.Space exploration contributed to its coming into being. |
C.It was damaged by the necessity for social distancing. |
D.The COVID-19 pandemic prevented its development. |
A.What is telehealth? |
B.What can telehealth help? |
C.What value does telehealth have? |
D.What is the effect of telehealth technology? |
【推荐3】First aid means the aid or the help that can be given to an injured person first, that is, before any medical help arrives. Sometimes quick action by us may save someone's life.
Shock. People often suffer from shock after receiving an injury, sometimes even when the injury is a small one. The face turns gray, and the skin becomes damp and cold. They breathe quickly. They should be kept warm. Cover them with a blanket and give them a warm drink.
Broken bones. Do not move the patient. Send for an ambulance at once.
Bleeding. A little bleeding doesn't harm. It washes dirt from the wound. But if the bleeding continues, try to stop it by placing a clean cloth firmly over the wound until the bleeding stops or helps arrive.
Poison. A person who has taken poison should be taken to a hospital at once. With some poisons, sleeping pills, for example, it is a good thing to make the patient throw up by pressing your fingers down his throat.
Remember: When an accident happens, telephone for an ambulance at once. Keep the injured person warm and quiet. Give him plenty of air. Do not let other people crowd around him.
1. When someone is injured, what should we do first?A.Call for an ambulance. |
B.Doing nothing but stand by. |
C.Keep the injured person warm and quiet. |
D.Give him or her first aid measures immediately. |
A.2. | B.3. | C.4. | D.5. |
A.In a newspaper. | B.In an advertisement. |
C.In a popular magazine. | D.In a medical guide book. |
【推荐1】Dune
Only big screens can actually match Frank Herbert’s science-fiction works. Directed by Denis Villeneuve, Dune is a sad film about super powered young heroes on a desert planet. It runs for 155 minutes, but still only covers the first half of the book. A large amount of money is spent on the film, and the cast (演员阵容) is packed with big names.
Antlers
The frightening story of this film is from native American tales about Wendigo. The director, Scott Cooper, asked Professor Grace L Dillon, the most famous expert on the subject, “I was told that it may not be an unreal story for native Americans,” Cooper said. “They truly believe in it, and it means greed (贪婪) and cruelty when we robbed all the resources from the locals.”
The French Dispatch
The 10th film by Wes Anderson, a writer-director, brings great joy to his fans. In this film, he takes his careful style to new extreme. Behind all these carefully prepared skills is a collection of three funny short stories, which are set in a French town probably from the magazine New Yorker in the mid-20th century.
Ron’s Gone Wrong
The cartoon is a family comedy (喜剧). Its hero, Barney, is given what seems to be a perfect toy — a shiny robot which is programmed to be his friend. But the problem is that this, robot, hardly works at all. The film’s co-writer and co-director, Sarah Smith, said, “It is completely out of control and doesn’t follow Barney’s directions. So they have to build their relationship from that point.”
1. Who is the author of Dune?A.Wes Anderson. | B.Denis Villeneuve. |
C.Frank Herbert. | D.Sarah Smith. |
A.Antlers. | B.Ron’s Gone Wrong. |
C.Dune. | D.The French Dispatch. |
A.They have the most famous stars. | B.They bring much pleasure to viewers. |
C.They are composed of small stories. | D.They are set in a French town. |
【推荐2】Good news for all Wes Anderson fans — the US director is back with the film The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar which hit Netflix, an online film provider, on Sept 27. It is a film adaptation of UK novelist Roald Dahl’s novel under the same name.
The film stars UK actor Benedict Cumberbatch as a wealthy man named Henry Sugar, who develops the ability to see through objects. At the very beginning he uses this power to cheat at cards and win big while gambling (赌博), and later turns his fortune into a global network of orphanages (孤儿院).
Dialogue style
Running for just 40 minutes, the film features Anderson’s quick-paced dialogue style. He also asked the actors to recite lines directly to the audience by looking at the camera, creating “the effect of listening to a podcast (播客) while turning the pages of a lovely picture book quickly”, commented CNN.
Visual style
Anderson’s work is immediately recognizable for his visual style as well. The “Anderson aesthetic (美学)” often uses bright color palettes (调色板) to both add visual appeal and make various ideas known to the audience, reported Yahoo News. In The Grand Budapest Hotel for example, Anderson uses a color palette of deep blues, rich greens and warm pinks to recreate an old-world European feel. In The Royal Tenenhaums the red tracksuits worn by Chaz, one of the main characters, show deep-seated anger resulting from parental trauma (创伤).
Symmetrical style
Another style is his use of symmetry (对称). Many of the shots involve (涉及) a person facing the camera, with the elements around the character set up in a sense of order and balance. Anderson explained to the media that it is out of his nature to “arrange things in a frame”, which he compares to how people can’t change the individuality of their handwriting. “You might try to write very well, but really, you have something your brain tends to do”, he said.
However, his obsessive repetition of these stylistic choices in his films has led some to question his ability to innovate (创新). In response to this, Anderson stated, “It’s not something I make any effort to do. I just want to make films that are personal but interesting to an audience.”
1. What do we know about the film The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar?A.Watching this film is actually listening to a podcast. |
B.It reflects the unique style of the director Wes Anderson. |
C.It is based on a real story of a wealthy man named Henry Sugar. |
D.Its main character gains nothing in gambling in the end. |
A.They both use colors to get various ideas across to the audience. |
B.They both reflect deep-seated anger. |
C.They both present an old-world European feel. |
D.They both have colorful costumes to add to their appeal. |
A.Out of curiosity. | B.Out of innovation. |
C.Out of habit. | D.Out of kindness. |
A.A film script. | B.A film lecture. |
C.A film survey. | D.A film review. |
【推荐3】With some 50 million copies in print, Johanna Spyri’s Heidi is probably the biggest Swiss bestseller of all time. So it's not a surprise there have been many film adaptations. The latest one, directed by Alain Gsponer, is a live-action, German-language feature that’s simply titled Heidi as well.
Heidi’s impressive box-office numbers prove that the world was ready for yet another version of this old-fashioned tale. The feature made over $15.5 million in Germany and Switzerland alone. Even more impressive are the numbers in Italy and France (not generally areas where German-language children’s films stand any chance).
Gsponer’s film follows the basic structure of the 1881 novel. 5-year-old Heidi is shipped off by her aunt, Dete, to her don’t-waste-any-words grandfather, who lives alone in a small wooden house high up in the Swiss Alps. He is not pleased to see his routine in the peaceful mountain air messed up by a curious little girl who needs looking after. The film doesn’t lay stress on the point, but even for those who haven’t read the book, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the lovely little girl will soon manage to melt Granddad’s icy heart.
At age 8, Heidi is taken away to Frankfurt, where her aunt has found her a rich family as a companion (伙伴) to a wheelchair-bound child, Klara. As in the novel, the film plays Heidi’s initial fish-out-of-the-water situation for comedy, since, as a country girl, she has no idea about things as basic as clean clothes or table manners. Actually, in the midsection, the girls’ strict governess (女家庭教师) gets some of the biggest laughs.
This is also a plot necessity. Heidi will need to start to feel homesick. She misses not only Grandpa but also her cute goat herder friend, Peter. She does get to see them again.
Throughout the movie, Gsponer keeps contrasting (对比) different elements, including the seasons, the city and the country and even characters, such as the dark-haired and earthy Heidi and the fair-skinned and fair-haired city girl Klara. These natural contrasts help give a sense of agreement to a plot.
1. What does the author want to show by mentioning the box-office numbers?A.Gsponer’s Heidi is a big success. | B.A lot of people understand German. |
C.It is a great idea to adapt a novel. | D.Heidi’s story is too old to be popular. |
A.Heidi needs a house. | B.He is not wealthy. |
C.Heidi behaves badly. | D.He prefers to live alone. |
A.She fits in well. | B.She feels out of place. |
C.She feels lonely. | D.She laughs at governess. |
A.A short story. | B.An introduction to a book. |
C.A film review. | D.A script of a documentary. |
【推荐1】Humans have long known that being in nature is good for the mind and body. From indigenous (本土的) adolescents completing the adult ceremony in the wild to modern East Asian cultures taking “forest baths”, many have looked to nature as a place for healing and personal growth. But the question still remains. How can nature make it?
There is no doubt that being in nature reduces the physiological symptoms of stress in our bodies. What this means is that we are less likely to be anxious and fearful in nature, and therefore we can be more open to other people and creative patterns of thought. Also, nature often leads to awe, wonder and respect, all these emotions facilitating everything from physical to mental health. There is also some evidence that exposure to nature impacts the brain. Viewing natural beauty makes specific reward circuits in the brain associated with dopamine release, a chemical that gives us a sense of purpose, joy and energy to pursue our goals.
But, regrettably, people seem to be spending less time outdoors and less time in nature than before. It is also clear that, in the past 30 years, people’s levels of stress and sense of “busyness” have risen dramatically. These joint forces have led environmental writer Richard Louv to coin the term “Nature Deficit Disorder”—a form of suffering that comes from a sense of disconnection from nature and its powers.
Perhaps we should take note and try a course corrective. The 19th century philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote about nature, “There I feel that nothing can befall me in life—no disgrace, no calamity.” The science speaks to Emerson’s intuition. It’s time to realize that nature is more than just a material resource. It’s also a pathway to human health and happiness.
1. Why are “indigenous adolescents” and “modern East Asian cultures” mentioned in paragraph 1?A.To clarify a viewpoint. | B.To answer the question below. |
C.To present the natural scenery. | D.To show the cultural differences. |
A.Restricting. | B.Exposing. | C.Promoting. | D.Covering. |
A.Uneasy. | B.Indifferent. | C.Humorous. | D.Proud. |
A.Is It Time to Challenge Yourself in Nature? |
B.Do You Know Nature Is a Material Resource? |
C.Why Do We Care about the Natural Environment? |
D.What Can Happen When We Connect with Nature? |
【推荐2】Oceanography has been defined as “the application of all sciences to the study of the sea”.
Before the nineteenth century, scientists with an interest in the sea were few and far between. Certainly Newton considered some theoretical aspects of it in his writings, but he was reluctant to go to sea to further his work.
For most people the sea was remote, and with the exception of early intercontinental travellers or others who earned a living from the sea, there was little reason to ask many questions about it, let alone to ask what lay beneath the surface. The first time that the question “What is at the bottom of the oceans?” had to be answered with any commercial consequence was when the laying of a telegraph cable from Europe to America was proposed. The engineers had to know the depth profile (起伏形状) of the route to estimate the length of cable that had to be manufactured.
It was to Maury of the US Navy that the Atlantic Telegraph Company turned, in 1853, for information on this matter. In the 1840s, Maury had been responsible for encouraging voyages during which soundings (测声) were taken to investigate the depths of the North Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Later, some of his findings aroused much popular interest in his book The Physical Geography of the Sea.
The cable was laid, but not until 1866 was the connection made permanent and reliable. At the early attempts, the cable failed and when it was taken out for repairs it was found to be covered in living growths, a fact which defied contemporary scientific opinion that there was no life in the deeper parts of the sea.
Within a few years oceanography was under way. In 1872 Thomson led a scientific expedition (考察), which lasted for four years and brought home thousands of samples from the sea. Their classification and analysis occupied scientists for years and led to a five-volume report, the last volume being published in 1895.
1. The proposal to lay a telegraph cable from Europe to America made oceanographic studies take on ________.A.an academic aspect | B.a military aspect |
C.a business aspect | D.an international aspect |
A.the American Navy |
B.some early intercontinental travellers |
C.those who earned a living from the sea |
D.the company which proposed to lay an undersea cable |
A.to make some sounding experiments in the oceans |
B.to collect samples of sea plants and animals |
C.to estimate the length of cable that was needed |
D.to measure the depths of the two oceans |
A.doubted | B.gave proof to | C.challenged | D.agreed to |
A.the beginnings of oceanography | B.the laying of the first undersea cable |
C.the investigation of ocean depths | D.the early intercontinental communications |
【推荐3】An adult African elephant consumes about 223 liters of water and 3,080 pounds of roots, grass and fruit daily. That’s like having 634 cans of soda and 1,200 hamburgers every day. This keeps them moving thousands of miles across Africa each year. Elephants usually migrate between March and May. Females live in groups with their children, and quickly run out of the food supply. They hit the road in search of food. Male elephants live alone, so they don’t use resources as quickly as the females. Instead, they migrate during their mating cycle. When the females pack their trunks, so do the males.
During migration, elephants face short water supplies and extremely high temperatures. But people are their number-one problem. Poachers (偷猎者) kill 35,000 elephants each year for ivory. Many African farmers build fences (栅栏) to protect crops and cattle, which might block regular migration paths. Traffic roads affect elephant migration, too. During one study of 28 elephants in Central Africa, only one female crossed an unprotected road.
Scientists, wildlife organizations and governments cooperate to find solutions for Africa’s elephants. “To unlock the secret of where elephants move and how they move, we place collars (项圈) with a satellite unit inside,” Dr. Michael Chase says. GPS collars help map which routes elephants use most so that countries can establish protected elephant passages.
Locals come in as well. James Isiche, East Africa Director of the International Fund for Animal Welfare says, “We have got the community on our side by a project; they’ve agreed to partner with us to conserve elephants.” The local community run wildlife parks to attract tourists. “This project helps us take care of both the wildlife and our cows,” says Sikira, a tribal elder in Maasai, Kenya. Protecting elephant migration routes allows these gentle giants to survive.
1. What can we learn about the elephants from paragraph 1?A.They show an interest in hamburgers. |
B.They move south to survive the cold. |
C.They migrate for different reasons. |
D.Females live shorter for food shortage. |
A.Results of poaching. | B.Reasons for killing elephants. |
C.Difficulties in migrating. | D.Efforts to protect migration paths. |
A.To discover the secret of migration. |
B.To track elephants with technology. |
C.To identify the population of elephants. |
D.To explore a new route for migration. |
A.Say No to Ivory | B.A Journey in Africa |
C.Ready for the Move | D.Technology in Migration |